Can pack, carrier tube and blank



April 5, 1960 c. T. OSTERBERG CAN PACK, CARRIER TUBE AND BLANK 2 Sheets-Sheer. 1

Filed Dec. 20, 1955 INVENTOR. C924. T 051-52552- ARM, Armvm ATTORNEY April 5, 1960 c. T. OSTERBERG CAN PACK, CARRIER TUBE AND BLANK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 20, 1955 w a o ma my 1 0 r z L a w w z m M Hi2 0 Z 5 2 Z 3 1 J z W m m "5 :1 u L n n m If my I Z I m a n w w CAN PACK, CARRIER TUBE AND BLANK Carl T. Osterberg, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Cornell Paperboard Products Co., Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Application December 20, 1955, Serial'No.'554,199

' 4 Claims. (11. 206-65) 'Thisinventionrelates to 'a can pack, carrier tube and blankhaving chime lockingftabs positioned for'edge'engagement with can chimes.

atent One or more rows of cans are enveloped in. a'tubular wrap which extends about the ends ofthe cans andis desirably of less width than the length of the row to expose for advertising purposes substantial areas of the side walls of the terminal cans in the row. In order to lock these terminal cans into the wrap, tab portions of the cardboard material of the wrap are folded inwardly to engage the inner sides of the chimes of the terminal cans. The

tabs are desirably, although not necessarily, used in pairs.

'A's distinguished from other can anchoring means, the present invention contemplates that the inwardly ffolded tabs .haveitheir die cut side margins, rather than their terminal margins, engaged with the can chimes for in- ..creased Security of can anchorage. Desirably, also,.each -.su'ch.inward fold of the tabis either folded upon itself intermediateitsiends or. interlocked with another tab to ,preclude the possibility of accidental release of the can.

In thedrawings:

Fig, lis a view in perspective showing thethree can package embodying the invention. a

Fig.- 2 is. an enlarged fragmentary plan detail view ;of the packageof Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view taken in section on the line 33 of Fig. 4 is a view taken in section on the line 4-4 of Fig. -2.

Fig. 5 is a plan view on a reduced scale of the blank from which the carrier of Figs. 1 to 4' is made.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view showing in-plan a portion of a blank for producing a modified embodi- .ment of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing on a reduced scale a fragmentary plan view of the modified embodi- ;ment produced through the use of the blank in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 3 showing the interlocking tab arrangement resulting from the use of the Fig. 6 blank.

Fig. 9 is an inverted perspective view showing the lower .face of the wrap and illustrating the interlocking connection between the tabs o-fFigs. 6 to 8.

vFig. 10 is a view in perspective showing a six can pack embodying the invention.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the blank used in the production oflthepack shown in Fig, 10.

Fig. 12 is a view taken in transverse section through i ice to carry the pack. The wrap may, if desired, be straightand gluing flaps'at 23, 24' at the ends of the series of parts of the blankas above enumerated. The flaps 23 and '24 may be adhesively connected before the wrap is supplied to the cans to form a tube of rectangular cross 'SC- tion into which the row of cans 15 can be inserted in the manner shown in Fig. 1. It is, of course, immaterial to the present invention whether the strip of cardboard is wrapped around the cans before having its ends connected or whether its ends are connected to make a rectangular tube-into which the cans are pushed.

In either event, the wrap 17 will comprise side Wall portions which, at least at theirupper and lower ends, are substantially tangent to the can topsand bottoms and which connect the top and bottom panels 19 and 20 which cover at least a part of the top of each terminal can and extend across the intermediate can or cans, if

any.

In order to keep these terminal cans in place within the pack, tongues 25 are provided in the top and bottom panels. The bases of these tongues are defined .bygscore;

lines 26 which, although not necessarily arcuate, as shown in. Fig. 5, are desirablyso. The. rest of the tongueis defined -by a die cut margin 27 extending continuously around the tongue from the ends of the score line 26.

The can positioning margins of each tongue may be parallel at oppositesidesofthe base portion 28and will then desirably converge toward the tip portion29'in order not to override the chime. These margins are made symmetrical solely for the sake of appearance. Ascore line at 30 defines the location ofafold ultimately formed between the base portion 28 of the tongue and the tip portion 29.

With cans in place asshown in Figs. 1' to 4, the top and bottom panels 19 and 29 extending above-and below the chimes 32 at the respective ends of the cans, the respective tongues 25 are folded downwardly and'toward each other in the manner which clearly appears in Figs. 1 to 4, leaving the tipportions 29 resting flat on'the tops 33 of the cans and the base portions 28 converging downwardly as shown in Fig. 3 to nnderliethat portion of the panel 19 of the carrier which intervenes between'the respective tabs. The tendency of the cardboard to straighten at the fold lines so exerts a certain degree of expanding pressure on the two ends of the tabs 25, but the function of the arcuate form of score line 26 is to resist such pressure and totend tohold'the tahssecurely:v in their folded position.

it will be noted upon examination of Figs. 1, 2 and 4 that the can chimes 32 are directly engaged by-the die out side marginsof thebase portions 28, the direction of thrust being parallel to the center line of the row of cans and at right angles to the folds of the tabs. Thus, because of this right angular relationship, the cans are wedged very securely within the wrapping tube andzno outward pressure upon either can will be able to displace the can short'of destructionof the tab.- .Not only. do

these tabs holdthe cans-securelyduringmanipulation-cf the pack, but they are sufficiently strong so that either one of the terminal cans, as exposed by the marginal notches at 18, may be used as a handle by which to carry the entire pack.

While the tab arrangement described is perfectly secure, I have conceived of an alternative arrangement in which the ends of tabs projecting toward each other may be interlocked. This is disclosed in Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive. The top panel has tabs 250 which are disposed in pairs, much as in the previously described organization,

Patented Apr. 5, 1960 v the proximate ends of the tabs being defined by score lines at 260 upon which the tabs are inwardly foldable beneath panel 190. However, in this instance, the respective tabs are L-shaped in plan, their die cut margins 270 being so for'med as to provide terminal heads 290. With the cans assembled within the tube 179, as shown in Fig. 7, the oppositely directedtabs are folded downwardly and inwardly as indicated at dotted lines in Fig. 7 to interlock their expanded edges 290 in the manner best shown in Fig. 9. The interlocked ends rest on the can top as shown in Fig. 8, leaving the side margins of the respective tabs to engage the can chime 32 as in the constructiori previously described.

' It will be understood that unlike the construction of Figs. 1 to 5, wherein a single tab would adequately anchor the can, the use of tabs in pairs being preferred but not essential, the construction shown in Fig. 9 contemplates said wall to provide paired chime engaging edges, the

the paired arrangement in order to achieve the desired interlock. It will further. be understood that in both constructions, the edgewise engagement of the chimes at the top of the cans is duplicated by the edgewise engagement of the chimes at the bottom of the can, the side edges of the base portions of the tabs being usedin both instances so that the thrust is generally parallel to the line upon which the respective tabs are folded, thus achieving a more secure anchorage of the cans than would be possible if the ends of the tabs were relied upon to anchor the chimes.

The construction shown in Fig. 10 comprises a pack in, which the cans are arranged in two rows, each of which contains at least two or more cans. The blank 171 is so designed as to provide integrally a central partition panel 40 which,'in the erected tube, lies between the rows of- 'cans.

At one end of the blank is the gluing tab 231, next to which is a panel 201 which underlies the cans of one row. The side wall panel 211 is made in full width, but it will be understood that it may optionally be notched as indicated at 18 in Fig. 5.

Next in the series is the top wall panel 191 which is made of suflicient width to cover both rows of cans and therefore has four pairs of tabs to engage chimes of terminal cans at the ends of both rows. Next, there is another side wall panel at 221 and a fractional bottom wall panel 202 which underlies the cans at the right as viewed in Fig. 12.

Finally, there is the partition panel 40 and terminal gluing flap 241. As manufactured, the blank shown in Fig. 11 has its gluing fiap 231 adhesively joined to one end of the partition panel 40, while the gluing flap 241 is adhesively joined to the top panel 191 near the center thereof. The flap 241 is notched to clear the adjacent locking tabs (see Figs. 10 and 11).

It is understood that the reference to the top and bottom is purely by way of exemplification, since the resulting tube may bepositioned with either end uppermost.

The can anchoring tabs 25 may be of either of the types herein disclosed, those shown in Figs. 1 to 5 being illustrated by way of exemplification. With the cans in place, the tabs are forced inwardly as shown in Fig. 10, there being desirably a pair of tabs with their side margins engaged to the chimes of the terminal cans of each row. From four to twelve cans or more are neatly and securely packed in two rows using the partition of Figs. 10 to 12.

I claim:

1. A packaging tube for articles having chimes, said tube comprising a wall portion in a position to rest respective tabs have terminal portions interlockingly connected within said wall and within the chime with which theirrespective edges are engaged. p 1

2. A can pack blank comprising top and bottompanel portions and interconnected side wall portions, the top and bottom panel portions being of such width as to extend over the tops of a plurality of cans provided with' chimes and having a pair of transversely directed tabs having base portions connected with the top and bottom panels along closely spaced and substantially parallel fold lines from which the tabs are foldable inwardly toward the tops and bottoms of the respective cans, said tabs being provided with sharply-defined margins so spaced as to be adapted for close fitting engagement within the chimes of terminal cans, the tabs of respective pairs having heads of increasing cross section mutually offset laterally from each other and interlockingly engageable within the respective panels when said tabs are folded inwardly of such panels.

3. A can pack comprising a row of cans having chimes, a tube comprising side wall portions embracing the sides of the cans of the row and top and bottom panels embracing the ends of said cans across the chimes thereof, the top and bottom panels having tabs disposed in pairs folded inwardly at the respective top and bottom panels upon generally parallel fold lines, each chime of the terminal can in said package being engaged by the side margins of two tabs, the tabs of each pair having head portions which are mutually offset laterally and progressively increase in lateral width, the said head portions being mutually interlocked with each other within the respective heads to maintain the side margins of the interlocked tabs engaged with the respective chimes.

4. A packaging tube for cans having chimes, said tube comprising a wall portion in a position torest against the chime edge and having a tab connected to said wall portion on a hinge line which is longitudinal of said tube and upon which'hinge line the tab is foldable inwardly of said wall portion for engagement of its side margin with the inner side of the chime and against can thrust directed longitudinally of the tube, said tab being longer than the height of the chime and being folded through more than ninety degrees onsaid hinge line to be confined between said wall portions and a can top, in combination with a like tab connected to said wall portion on a hinge line parallel to the hinge'line first mentioned, the terminal portions of said tabs extending past each other and having interlocked margins.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,656,960 Carrnth Oct. 27, 1953 2,684,759 Freeman July 27, 1954 2,690,839 Robinson Oct. 5, 1954 2,706,040 Courson Apr. 12, 1955 2,727,674 Rous Dec. 20, 1955 2,814,385 Stone Nov. 26, 1957 cam. 

